The Change
by KickTheBucket
Summary: "Do you see how he is right now? He's not like himself! He's—He's cold, unresponsive, scared, quiet, and above all—insane! Do you know how much it's hurting him? How much it's hurting me?" She demanded, and Robin could only sit there, speechless.
1. Prologue: Fire

**A/N**

**Because of the awesome feedback I got from my last fic, (A Rush of Air) I have decided to write a sequel :)**

**This one, as my last one was, is a bit morbid. More Waltemis. More 'Dark Wally' as some of you put it.**

**This isn't a one-shot. It's a full-out story. I probably won't update for a week or so because of band, this stupid math contest that I didn't sign up for, (Urgh… I'm giving up my Saturday for it.) and an essay in English. I also have another story that I should be updating…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, nor do I own DC Comics.**

Prologue

All he wanted was fire. He wanted to see it flicker, jump, dance… devour. He wanted to feel its' warmth, its' comfort, its' danger, its' temptation.

Once it was in front of him, he couldn't look away. He just couldn't. He could feel it entering through his eyes and pulsing through his body, feeling like water. Maybe if he moved, he could feel it sloshing around. But, he couldn't. He couldn't move. He couldn't even think. All he could do was stare straight ahead.

All he wanted was fire.

Artemis sat beside him, not touching him at all. She was hugging herself tightly—too tightly—and was hunched over in pain, although nothing appeared to be wrong with her.

Robin was adding another log to the fireplace, the only one they had in Mount Justice in a small, almost forgotten room. They were only here because they didn't want Wally to freeze or overheat, since he couldn't speak at this point in time. He fit the block of wood between an old piece and a pile of embers and he poked it around with his fingers before it cracked and a hot ash flew out at him.

"Hot!" He muttered, brushing it off of his civilian clothes. "What I do for you, Wally, I swea—" He began to say, but when he turned around and caught another glimpse of his best friend, he stopped short. He had been trying to make himself forget.

He crossed the five steps between them and gently laid his hand against the speedsters' forehead, checking for a temperature. It was the opposite: cold, almost ice cold. Robin grimaced and stepped behind him, walking the necessary distance around his two teammates and sitting in the chair beside the archer that he had been seated in only a moment ago.

Moments passed. Robin staring straight ahead, Wally staring at the fire, Artemis staring at Wally.

Finally, someone broke the silence.

"What did they say?" She asked, her voice hollow and broken.

Robin laughed coldly. "I've already told you. Over and over."

"I wasn't listening the last time."

He looked over at her, confusion masking his sight briefly. The Boy Wonder had no idea what was going on with her, and he found it weird. He always had everyone figured out, and she was an exception. Wally was an exception, too, nowadays, and he was especially one now.

He sighed and shook his head. "It's a new formula. Batman's trying to isolate certain chemicals and toxins to find out an antidote, and Flash says that it's not needed, due to Wally's super-metabolism. It should be out of his system completely by next week."

Artemis stood up abruptly, and without warning, she screamed. Loudly. This made Robin jump, and, of course, Wally didn't respond at all.

"Next week? Do you see how he is right now? He's not like himself! He's—He's cold, unresponsive, scared, quiet, and above all—insane! Do you know how much it's hurting him? How much it's hurting me?" She demanded, and Robin could only sit there, speechless.

Without another word to him, Artemis kneeled in front of Wally. Tears streamed down her face as he simply kept staring into the fire, not even aware that she was there.

"Wally? Wally, please! Can you hear me? Please, just say something! Call me a name, insult me, anything!" She yelled, gripping his shoulders. She couldn't bring herself to shake him, though. It seemed too cruel—like kicking a puppy.

And then, Robin understood. Artemis was in love with Wally. He had no idea if the speedster felt the same.

That only left one thing for him to be in the dark about:

What had happened to them, to make their outlooks on each other change so drastically?


	2. Chapter 1: The Greatness

**A/N**

**Hi. I'm so sorry for the delay in updating. I now have two stories and two challenges that I need to work on, so things might be a little slow…**

**Until summer of course, when I have no life :)**

**P.S. Sorry if this first part grosses you out a little bit… I just felt that this would be Wally's life.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice**

-Chapter 1-

_Two months earlier: Central City High School, December 10__th__, 8:00 AM._

Wally West sat in his assigned seat in his 1st period class, right next to Howard Wright, that kid who still thought it was cool to pick his nose even though he was fifteen years old.

Unfortunately, that kid was here today, and he was at it again. Wally tried not to look at anything else but the ceiling as he tried to block out the sound of him… _digging._

He was waiting for anyone—_ANYONE!—_To come into class, slightly early like he and Mr. Gold-Digger had, so he had something else to do than sit here and listen to him pick his nose.

"Hey, Wally," Howard muttered, voice slightly muffled as he moved his hand away from his nose, trying to hide what he was doing.

Wally grimaced inwardly, slowly turning his head to look at the boy next to him.

Howard sat with his legs propped up on the desk, arms crossed nonchalantly. He was looking at Wally, amber eyes dark, like he thought he was cool or something.

"…Yeah?" Wally asked cautiously. Howard adjusted the pens in his breast pocket and sniffled loudly.

_And Artemis thinks _I'm _gross._

"Did you finish last nights' homework?" Wally noticed that Howard's fly was down.

"Uh… yeah?" He said instead, thoughts processing fast enough to be able to put it behind him for the moment.

"I didn't. Think I could—"

"—Hey, Wall-man!"

_THANK GOD!_

Wally whipped around, bright smile forming on his face.

"Hey, Joshie! What's up?" He greeted his school-friend as he sat down in his assigned seat to the right of the room.

Wally excused himself and stood up, rushing over. He had to get away from Howard… that kid was a wannabe, of what he didn't know, he just knew that he was trying to be something he wasn't. Wally didn't like kids like that.

The redhead sat down on top of the desk on Joshua Rice's right and crossed his arms over his red T-shirt, prepared to start a bullshit war.

"How's it hangin', Wal-mart?" Josh teased, giving him his trademark crooked smile.

At school, Wally wasn't exactly a loser, but he wasn't exactly a preppy kid either. Since he had made a deal with his Uncle Barry that he wouldn't be allowed to hang out with "bad influences," nor would he be able to be in any sport that involved running, just in case his secret identity was guessed—meaning that he wouldn't have any jock friends either—He had picked the class-clown group. It consisted of him and three others, all hilarious, reasonably smart in at least one subject, liked by most everyone and mildly good-looking.

"Same as always, J-Walk," He sighed, "My personal assistant said I got another three requests to be a male model yesterday: One for Vanity Fair, one for Playboy, and, get this—Abercrombie and Fitch called, and they asked me to stand outside of their store in the mall with my shirt off for three hours so girls could stand and take pictures with me! But, I declined all three. I'm too busy shooting my movie: Wally West Must Die. Y'know, that one where I date all sorts of hot chicks at the same time, they find out, and get me to fall for an unnoticed nerd so she can break my heart? Yup, it's pretty awesome."

Josh nodded, running a hand through his straight brown hair. "I bet, bro. I'll take that job with Hollister if you want. Can't let something _that _exciting go to waste." He waggled his dark eyebrows in response.

The two shared a laugh, throwing their heads back in unison and hooting uproariously.

Immediately afterward, Joshua let his smile droop slightly from his face, becoming a little more somber. "No, but seriously, Wally, I have news."

"Lemme guess," The ginger snorted, green eyes still filled with good humor. "Taylor Swift wrote a song about you?"

"Wally, I'm being serious."

"Oh," His eyebrows rose and his smile faded away, "Well, uh… what is it, man?"

Josh leaned in, brown eyes intense, "I hear there's a new girl. She's in 1st period with us."

More people were starting to file in, dotting the room as they sat in various desks. Wally was slightly distracted as he noticed Bridget Miller sitting down across the room, wearing a slightly low-cut top. Josh's words were barely audible as he turned his attention back toward his friend.

"Wait, sorry, what? I didn't hear you, Joshie," He apologized, focusing again on his brown-eyed friend.

"There's a new girl, and she's gonna be in 1st period with us," He said again, mildy annoyed, but only showing it through his eyes. He was used to Wally West, who was distracted easily.

Wally's mood went from happy to freakin' ecstatic as his green eyes bulged out of his head. "Serious? Is she hot? Does she have a boyfriend? Is it a long-distance relationship? What does her boyfriend look like? Is he funny?" He rambled, and Josh waited patiently for him to finish assaulting him with questions before he began again.

"Dude, first of all, I've never seen her in my life. I don't know if she has a boyfriend. But, what I hear…" Wally leaned in, bringing his ear closer to Josh's mouth, "…She and her mom moved here to get away from her abusive father."

Wally's world screeched to a halt and his funny-guy demeanor drained away as if it had been tossed into a toilet and then flushed down the pipes.

"…What?" He managed, feeling ashamed for being interested in a girl's looks whom he had never seen before that might have a terrible life.

"Hey, it could just be rumors, you know? Who are we to judge before we know a person?"

His friend ducked under his desk to retrieve his binder from his gray backpack, leaving Wally to get lost in his thoughts.

He stared at the white wall of the classroom, Josh's words tumbling through his mind.

He was almost caught off guard as someone clapped their hand on his shoulder roughly before vaulting over the desk he was sitting on and plopping down beside him. _Almost _caught off guard. He _was_ Kid Flash, after all.

"'Sup, guys?"

"None much, Ray," Wally cackled, fist-bumping him with gusto.

"Raymoooon!" Josh roared from below his desk, voice faraway as he continued to dig for his binder.

The blue-eyed brunette boy cracked a smile for Josh, although he couldn't see it.

"Did ya hear 'bout the new girl?"

Wally, still a little subdued about the rumor he had heard about her, nodded simply.

"Wonder what she's like."

Classic Raymond Powell, always thinking about personality over looks. Did he know anything about what guys were supposed to look for in girls in modern times?

Wally rethought that question. Maybe Ray's outlook on girls was what made him the lady's man he was. He'd have to try being like that sometime.

"Alright, kids in seats, kids in seats," Mr. Lamberts' voice commanded, and Wally quickly moved to his desk, although he was quite unwilling to do so since it meant going back to being next to Howard Wright. But, then again, Mr. Lambert was one of those tall, skinny men with no patience and low-tolerance for people with a good sense of humor, and getting in trouble meant that Wally'd have to take a break from being a superhero.

As he neared his seat he noticed that Howard was at it again, totally oblivious to the girls wearing disgusted faces that were staring at him from across the room, Bridget Miller one of them.

Wally sat down and caught the eye of Alexander Kraft, the last of his group, who was one of the last to arrive to class.

Once the blonde plopped down in his seat, he pursed his lips and gave Wally the classic two-fingered peace sign, his way of a greeting.

Out of their gang, Alex was the one that was the most full of himself, and probably the one that was the best looking. He called himself "The Greatness" after Alexander the Great, and everyone eventually caught on and started calling him his preferred nickname.

Wally smiled in response to this and looked toward the front of the classroom, waiting for further direction.

"If everyone could get their history books out, we'll begin the lesson," His teacher conducted, and Wally did as he was told, ducking under his desk and retrieving his heavy book as he unzipped his backpack. He grabbed his water bottle and set it on his desk while he was at it. Hydration was key, and he couldn't eat until passing period, which was in an hour and a half, so his body needed _something._

The sound of books clunking as they were dropped on top of hard surfaces and backpacks unzipping filled the air as Wally resurfaced from Under-The-Desk-World and he looked back toward the front of the room.

Mr. Lambert was standing, Teachers' Edition in hand, and flipping through the pages.

"Alright, class, turn to page 430," He began to issue again, and Wally did as he was told, being the only one to have his book out at this point in time. "Today we're going to be learning about—Oh."

Wally was first alerted by his short pause, having as fast reflexes as he had. He looked up immediately; ready to protect the class should something go wrong.

But instead of finding something grave, he found a new person standing up at the front next to Mr. Lambert, and the door was open.

Taking a quick assessment, he realized that it was a girl. Probably the new girl, since he didn't think he'd ever seen her around before.

"Hello there, miss, you must be our new student." The black hooded figure nodded, hands reaching up to the straps of her backpack. She gripped both tightly and squeezed until her knuckles were white.

Under the black sweatshirt, he could see a tight, white undershirt, and she was also wearing jeans. Her hair was long and blonde, and it was hanging around her face, which he couldn't see.

"Well, okay, let's have you take a seat there next to Alexander, and we'll find out all about you, later, how's about that?"

She nodded silently again, and went to sit where the teacher had gestured.

Wally felt bad for her. Sure, The Greatness was hilarious, but if the rumors were true, he wasn't the guy she needed. She needed someone to boost her self-esteem, not laugh uproariously in her face without considering how she'd feel until later.

He made up his mind right then. He was going to get to know her, figure out if the rumors were true, and regardless if they were or not, he'd be there for her.

He was going to "Pull a Raymond" and not care how she looked. Not a first, because he was a good guy, but it wasn't something he usually did. He tried to make everyone feel better and not just focus his enthusiasm and good-natured joking on one person.

The Greatness turned and smiled at her, blue eyes twinkling, and he wasn't sure if she was smiling at him or even making eye contact.

Wally took a long pull of his water and turned to look at the teacher again. Come passing period, he'd show her what someone who cared was like.

Mr. Lambert was still looking at her, frown fixed on his vain face.

"I'm sorry, miss, but we don't allow any headwear or hoods inside at this school," He explained, watching her carefully as her shoulders sagged a little bit and she reached up a slender hand to push her hood back.

It revealed that full head of blonde hair she had been hiding, although he couldn't see her face because she had her back to him.

He settled down, forcing back his disappointment, and concentrated on Mr. Lambert again.

He sipped on his water as the history teacher read the chapter, taking slow drags every once in a while.

And it was during one of these long drinks that he felt a pair of eyes on him. He looked up, expecting to find The Greatness giving him a cocky grin, but instead found the new girl looking right at him with intense, bright blue eyes.

He froze immediately.

There was only one person who could stare at him like that.

He just had no idea what she was doing here.


	3. Chapter 2: Mayonnaise

**A/N**

**Hi there! Thanks for all of your reviews on the last chapter, and thank you for all of your suggestions! I will definitely take them to heart as I continue to write this story.**

**(P.S. Keep your eye on Ray, Greatness and Joshie. Tell me which of Wally's friends is your favorite—this will help for future chapters. It would help a ton!)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice**

-Chapter 2-

Wally stared across the cafeteria, numbly chomping down on his mayonnaise-peanut butter-pickle sandwich. He'd been having some weird cravings this morning, probably due to his exhaustion from last night's mission, so he'd crammed whatever sounded good between two pieces of bread, plopped it in a plastic baggie, and tossed it into his backpack.

He was paying for it now. The peanut butter was too peanutty, the mayonnaise too sticky, the pickles too slimy. Or that might just be the taste in his mouth, considering what had just happened.

He sloshed around a few morsels and swallowed, immediately washing it all down with a loud sip of water.

"Dude, hurry up!" Josh said from beside him, anxiously and lightly slamming his fist down on the table a couple of times. "I want to talk to the new girl before lunch is over!"

Wally shrugged. "Greatness seems like he already has dibs, Joshie, I wouldn't try."

Josh had previously been looking frantically across the cafeteria to where Artemis, Alex, Ray and a few others were standing, and the ginger could just sense his distress at the fact that he wouldn't be one of the first to make her laugh today. Now the teen had swung his head around, brown eyes narrowed.

"You may not care, dude, but I do."

"Who said I didn't?"

"You sure don't seem all that excited to find out if she has a boyfriend anymore," He scoffed. "What changed?"

_Oh, I dunno. Maybe the fact that I found out that she's my teammate, I know her already, and I freakin' _hate _her! _Wally screamed internally, but he just kept his words in his head and continued to eat his food.

After a few more minutes, Wally could tell that Josh was getting extremely fed up with him.

Deciding that the wrath of his best school-friend wasn't worth a sandwich, he stood up, food in hand and tossed it in the trashcan by the wall a few feet over.

"Finally!" Joshie muttered, standing up with a sigh of relief.

Wally rolled his eyes. "Lead the way, Romeo."

"With pleasure!"

The brunette began to walk toward the group of people, Greatness, and Artemis, joy evident in the way his feet left the ground.

Wally sulked after him, feeling very angry again. Why hadn't anyone told him about this? Was this a secret covert mission? Was there some villain here that he needed help with? Because both speedsters could surely handle—

"—Hey, guys!" Bridget Miller called, and Wally's heart stopped. He hadn't realized until now that she was among the group of people standing next to Artemis.

"Hey, Bridge!" Josh and Wally greeted in unison as they neared the crowd.

The dark-haired girl stuck out like a sore thumb amongst everyone else for Wally—well, aside from Artemis, but that was beside the point—and when she fixed her hazel eyes on him, he felt himself die a little inside. She was the lead singer of a rising rock band, and yes, she was a spitfire. Kent Nelson had told him to find one, hadn't he?

The short girl skirted the crowd and gave both a sideways hug, and Wally felt his cheeks burn. Someone was watching him. He looked up and met eyes with Artemis again over Bridget's head. She was scowling. He raised an eyebrow, and then their brief body-motion conversation was over and Bridget was walking away from Wally again.

Josh was already in front of Artemis, hand extended out in front of him to formally introduce himself.

"Hey!" He said, and she reached out to tentatively shake his hand. Wally noticed that he had his other hand in his pocket, and it confused him. Joshie only did that when he was trying to hide his fidgeting fingers, and he only fidgeted when he was really nervous.

Josh was never nervous with girls…

"Uh, hi!" Artemis answered, and it was the first time Wally had heard her speak at school. Her voice was raspy and rough, like he'd remembered it. Yes, it was definitely her.

"I'm Joshua—err, Josh. But most call me Joshie," He introduced himself, before moving aside for Wally to step in.

The ginger laughed inside of his head. He was going to have to act like he'd never met her before, and that was kind of hard, considering he and Artemis clashed on an almost freaky level.

He stepped forward and daringly reached out his hand.

"Hey there," He began, looking for a familiar pick-up line, "Do I know you from somewhere? 'Cos I don't recognize you with your clothes on."

Everyone around him laughed, Artemis included, to his surprise.

"This is Wally," Greatness said after everyone was done, "He'll probably be using a lot of those until he gets used to you."

Artemis nodded. "Well, uh, nice to meet you, Joshie." She looked over at the brunette and Wally saw him slip his hand back into his pocket from the corner of his eye as he nodded. "And nice to meet you, too, Wally."

There was a little bit of venom in her tone. No one else might have caught it, but the ginger could almost taste it. Oh, they were going to have a colorful talk when they got to Mount Justice.

"Hey, guys," Penelope Valdez spoke up, "We're going to go show her the girls locker rooms, since I think she has swimming next period."

"I can come, right?" Wally volunteered, earning another laugh from the group.

"Keep dreaming, Wally," Penelope said before gently nudging Artemis toward the doors and following her out with the rest of the girls behind her.

Wally, Joshie, Ray and Greatness watched them leave. After they had passed out of the room, Greatness whistled loudly.

"That girl is _fine,"_ He murmured, raking a hand through his dirty blonde hair.

Ray smiled, "Yeah, she said she was a track-runner. I wonder what events she runs."

Greatness and Joshie groaned loudly. "Ray, you know nothing about women."

"Do, too! I just care about more things than asses, boobs, and faces," Raymond defended himself.

"Hey, who said that's all I—"

"—Well, I think she seems cool!" Josh interrupted Greatness before he and Ray could start a fight. The two were pretty opposite, and they fought nearly everyday. Wally simply ignored it, but Joshie always tried to mediate the situation. In a way, he reminded Wally of Robin.

"Yeah," Raymond quickly agreed, seeing it as a way to get out of the argument.

"Yeah, yeah," Alex sighed dejectedly, "But, you have to admit, she _is _hot."

Ray and Joshie nodded, smiles on their faces.

But, suddenly, all of the attention was on Wally.

"What do you think, man?" The Greatness asked, broad grin still plastered across his features.

"She's hot."

Oh, crap. He'd used the wrong tone. He'd sounded doubtful.

"She's hot, but…" Josh prompted, raising a dark eyebrow.

"She's hot. That's it. Doubt I'd date her," Wally said with a shrug, but something inside of him squirmed.

He remembered back in September when they'd woken up in the Bialyan Desert together, and he'd been able to "re-meet" her. He'd called her beautiful. He'd held her hand. But she was Artemis, and he wasn't supposed to or allowed to do that. That went for school, too, if they were going to be around each other there, too. But there was some form of longing deep down…

He shook it off. He'd never feel that way about her.

"Dude, she's blonde. You like blondes!" Ray gasped, faking shock.

"Since when?" Wally guffawed.

"Wasn't your last girlfriend blonde?"

"…That was a long time ago."

"Uh huh," Josh muttered, and then the bell rang.

They started to part ways to their different classes, slinging their backpacks over their shoulders and giving last minute fist-bumps.

"You know you like her, Wall-man. If I do, you've gotta," Joshie muttered in his ear before he turned and started to drag himself to math class.

Wally stared after him, green eyes narrowed.

Even if they re-met each other _again, _he wouldn't like her.


	4. Chapter 3: Bad Aim

**A/N**

'**Ello! Sorry for the long period of non-updatement. Yes, I made a new word :)**

**And thanks for those of you who got back to me on your favorite of Wally's friends! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Young Justice**

Chapter 3

_Mount Justice, December 10__th__, 6:17 PM_

The sound of the teleportation system in the covert team's headquarters was heard as it started up and began to spew out an arriving team member, stating their name and number.

This time, it was recognized to be Kid Flash.

As the machine died down, Robin looked up from the coach, sprawled out, reading the latest technology magazine.

"Hey, Wally!" He called as his best friend passed by him. He saw the look on his face immediately, and predicted his next words before he said them.

"Where is she?" He raged.

"I'm not saying," Robin replied, raising his eyebrows and looking down at his entertainment again, eyes not to be seen, thanks to his sunglasses.

Wally was beside him in less than a second, leaning over him, grinding his teeth furiously.

"Where. Is. She," He growled.

Robin raised his brows again, slowly pushing Wally out of his face.

"Promise not to kill her?"

"Not exactly."

"She's in the training room," He answered, ready to log onto his laptop and tap into the security system, just to see their soon-to-be storm of an argument caught on tape.

The ginger smirked, green eyes glinting dangerously.

"Thanks, Rob," He said, and in a rush of air, he was gone, racing down the hall.

"Hey, wait!" He yelled after the speedster, but it was too late. "She's doing target practice, so you might want to watch out…"

He shrugged and tossed his magazine on the coffee table, reaching for his computer where it was conveniently sitting on the other side.

Wally ran down the corridor, heading straight for the training room. His blood was boiling, and he could feel it pulsing in his ears. He wanted answers, and he wanted them _now._

Planning to catch her by surprise, he flitted through the door to his right and ran straight into the middle of the room, eyes searching in a fraction of a second for her familiar shape.

But, although he was Kid Flash, he realized a second too soon that he was in the middle of an archery course, and an arrow was whizzing straight towards him.

"Wally, you doofus!" Artemis snarled as he felt something sharp pierce his left bicep, and he gripped it in pain.

He could feel blood spurting slowly from the wind, gently seeping through his fingers. He didn't panic. He'd be healed in a matter of minutes, thanks to his metabolism.

But the arrow incident, and the name she had called him, made him even angrier than he already had been.

"I want answers, Blondie," He growled, gritting his teeth in the pain from the wound.

She made her way over to him, a smirk on her face as she lay her bow on the ground and returned the arrow in her hand to the quiver on her back.

"Let me see it," She demanded, reaching out to him.

He turned away from her, "Not until I get freaking answers!"

"Stop being such a baby! Let me see the damned thing!"

He growled in the back of his throat and offered her his arm, taking his hand off of the cut.

She looked at it for a moment, saw how deep it was and how fast it was healing, and decided that it wasn't worth first-aid or a band-aid.

"Look, I'm sorry for hitting you, but you _have_ to be more careful," She apologized carefully.

He scoffed. "Whatever. You know why I'm in here."

She played dumb, raising a blonde eyebrow. "I do?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don't play that card with me. Why the hell are you now enrolled in my school?"

She smirked. "You're just jealous because I'm flirting with your hot friends."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"You're not giving me a freaking answer!" He snarled, spreading his arms wide. A drop of blood dripped from his still-bleeding wound onto the electronic floor. He smiled knowingly. "Are you afraid, Artemis? Afraid of what I'll think when you tell me that you got expelled for doing drugs?"

"That's not even funny," She hissed, "I'd never do that."

"Then why did you transfer? Didn't you live in Gotham before? Weren't you going to Robin's school?" He demanded. And it occurred to her that he actually sounded kind of… concerned.

They stared each other down, her eyes narrowed, his eyes solemn, yet dark. He still wanted answers, even though he was a little worried about her well-being. He didn't exactly like her, but she _was _a person, and since he was a superhero, he had to protect all people.

They continued to do this for a few minutes, neither breaking eye-contact, when, finally, she caved.

"Alright, fine. I transferred for protection," She sighed.

Wally's face changed to a confused look as he furrowed his brows and slightly wrinkled his nose.

"What? Protection for what?" He asked.

She shrugged and turned away from him, drawing an arrow from her quiver and picking up her bow again.

She turned once she was at a good distance and fit the arrow to her bow.

"You might want to move, unless you want another hole in you," She muttered.

He glared at her, but complied.

As he moved to the side, he growled, "What's with you and not answering my questions?"

To this, she shrugged again.

"It's time for you to leave, Wally. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?" She said, and he could hear a wary tone to her voice.

He peered into her eyes from where he stood and saw an apprehensive tone to their depths.

"You're hiding something…" He observed out loud, and she made brief eye contact, but then averted her gaze again as she let the arrow go and it flew into the target, hitting the bulls eye.

She drew another arrow.

"I'm gonna find out, Artemis. Might as well tell me while you can explain so I won't jump to conclusions," He said dryly.

"Nothing to jump to conclusions about," She said, letting her projectile fly and retrieving another. "It's all in your head, Baywatch."

"Whatever, Beautiful," He muttered sarcastically. "Just know that I'm watching, I'm watching everything."

"Sure you are. You've always been a stalker," She muttered, eyes still trained on her mark.

"So you should know that I never miss anything," He laughed, backing out of the room.

She acted as if it didn't bother her that he was suspicious, but he caught the place her last arrow had landed. With her mind being distracted, it hadn't even hit the target.


	5. Chapter 4: Stupid Uncle Barry

**A/N**

**Ahhh, hi! I'm sorry for not having updating in a long time again! However, school has ended, so I'll be a lot better from now on. Promise. :)**

**AND I have planned out every single chapter in detail, SOOOO I'm not writing mindlessly now! :D**

**Huge thanks to all who reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot line, and all of the characters that you don't recognize.**

-Chapter 4-

_Central City High School, December 11__th__, 7:45 AM._

"Thanks, Uncle Barry," Wally yawned, flicking the fingers of his left hand in a goodbye as he grabbed his backpack off of the floorboard, opened the door of the blue pickup truck, and dropped to the sidewalk outside of his school.

"No problem, Wally," The blonde man said, giving him a perfect smile.

The ginger gave him a grin back and started to close the door, but he was suddenly jerked back into the cab, the other speedster suddenly having a hold on the front of his shirt.

Wally was immediately alert, looking around them for any sign of criminal activity.

He hadn't slept much last night. He'd spent the majority of it lying awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to figure out why the hell Artemis would need to be at his school for protection. He still didn't even know why they'd call upon an amateur archer if there were some threat that two active speedsters couldn't handle. If anything, shouldn't they have stationed a League member here? And if they were short on them, how about Superboy? Or Robin? Or Megan? Yeah… Megan. He could've even volunteered for her to stay at his house… that would be aweso—

-Be serious now, Wally. No need for that right now.

The redhead had thought on the subject for hours and still hadn't come up with an answer.

He hadn't even seen any suspicious goings-on for him to suspect that something huge might be happening! Sure, there'd been recent criminal activity. Just yesterday he and The Flash had stopped Captain Boomerang from robbing yet another bank, but that wasn't out of the ordinary. That was a normal day for Central City!

Why would his city need an extra protector? And an archer that had been on the job for less than six months at that!

His uncle leaned in; close enough to Wally's ear for him to believe that he might be sharing a vital piece of information with him.

He prepared to hear a message that had to do with his team, something that would give him something to look forward to after school.

His green eyes flicked to the front of the school and he gnawed on the inside of his cheek, trying to look like he was getting a simple scolding or note from a moody guardian.

He prepared himself for the worst.

His uncle inhaled and then said:

"Hottie at three o'clock!"

Wally made a face, scrunching his eyebrows up in confusion, and looking over to the place his uncle was pointing to.

There, with her backpack slung over her shoulder, stood Artemis. Her long blonde hair was up in its signature ponytail and it swayed slightly in the breeze. She was smiling and talking to Ray and a couple of other guys.

Her back was to their truck, but the redhead knew immediately who it was anyway.

And with his realization, the look of uncertainty left his face to be replaced by one of annoyance and frustration.

His uncle couldn't see his expression, however, and just simply continued to make his nephew more exasperated.

"Is she new? She looks new. I haven't seen her at your school before. Have you talked to her at all?" He inquired innocently.

"Yup," Wally said, fighting the urge to grit his teeth, "I have."

"Is she cool? 'Cause she's cute. Y'know, you should really just give up on that Bridget chick. Musicians are too in love with music for a relationship, kid. Trust me, I dated a few before your Aunt Iris."

"Thanks for the words of wisdom, Uncle Barry," The younger speedster forced out, putting a tight smile on his face and getting out of the cab again. "I'll see you after school, okay?"

"Alright. Don't have too much fun."

Wally slammed the door and turned away. "I won't, I promise," He growled and calmly walked towards his fellow class-clown, planning to ask where Joshie was. He didn't want to be anywhere near Artemis after that little episode with his uncle and would rather not hang with Ray if she was who he chose to talk to at this moment in time.

"Hey, guys!" He greeted cheerfully as he approached them.

"Hey, Wally!" The guys replied.

Artemis gave a simple, "Hi."

She stared right at him, an almost taunting look in her eyes because she knew that he still wanted answers and explanations that she still wouldn't give.

He felt his stomach tense with anger and had the sudden urge to start an argument, but he knew that would look suspicious because it appeared to everyone else that they had just met yesterday. Instead, he tapped into his inner flirt and decided to play it safe.

"So, Artemis, right?" He asked, inching closer to her.

She raised an eyebrow at his nearer proximity and suspiciously said, "Yeah…?"

"Well, I just have to ask, what time do you have to be back in Heaven?" With this said, he put his arm around her shoulders.

She tensed a little bit, and he barely felt it, but nonetheless realized she had done it.

The guys chuckled and, surprising Wally, Artemis giggled.

He'd never heard her giggle, nor did he know that she was capable of doing so.

He quickly forced the thought away and turned his head away from her, towards Raymond.

"Hey, Ray, where's Joshie? I gotta ask him something."

The blue-eyed boy scrunched up his forehead in thought, running the fingers of his left hand through his brown hair. "Uh… I think he went to the weight room."

Wally raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. "Joshua Rice working out this early?"

Raymond shrugged. "That's what I said."

The ginger shook his head. "Thanks, bro. I'll see you guys later," He said with a bright smile. He slid his arm off of Artemis' shoulders and winked at her, leaving with a, "And I'll see _you _in my dreams tonight."

It made him sick. Just sick. He'd never even thought of using a pick-up-line on her. She wasn't the type of girl, and he didn't even _like _her! But in order to appear like her presence here wasn't affecting him, he _had _to.

"Why?" He cursed the league internally, and wondered for the umpteenth time why it had to be _her_ that they sent for 'protection.'

Suddenly a smile came to his lips as he skirted the outside of the school, heading toward the field and the gym that was located on the north side that housed the weight room. Protection. Ha-Ha.

He stepped onto the springy material that made up the track and a pang of envy shot through his legs. He could've kicked ass in track if his uncle and the league hadn't been so uptight about him keeping his powers a complete secret. Playing any sports that involved running might give him away. Therefore, they were forbidden.

As he walked nearer to his destination he thought of what could-have-been. He could've shown off his torso more, could've sat at the jock table… Could've brought his school to the top, maybe even have won Homecoming King… but, no. His powers had prevented it.

And yet, he'd never want to give up being a hero. It was a part of who he was now.

Wally got along so well with most of his team because they too shared this. They wouldn't be who they were without what they'd seen or what they'd done. It was almost the glue that kept them together.

It occurred to him then that Artemis was different. This stopped him in his tracks.

Her mannerisms were different than all of theirs… she didn't _act_ like a hero, but he had no doubt in his mind that she was good.

He continued to walk, raking his fingers through his unruly red hair in confusion.

He approached the doors of the high school's gym and decided that he'd hold that thought and come back to it later. Things that made him think longer than usual were things that concerned him.

Artemis concerned him.

He didn't get concerned very easily.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the thinking away and opened the door to the gym, immediately smelling sweat and a hint of chlorine from the pool that was located through the door on the other side of the gymnasium.

The school's mascot, a huge lightning bolt chosen in The Flash's honor, adorned the walls to the left, between the boys locker room and the weight room, and to the right, next to the girls locker room. The white tile floor gleamed, appearing to have been swept and waxed recently by the friendly school janitor.

Another set of doors led into the main gym where Wally could see the Coach's desk crammed up against the wall, cluttered with notices from teachers, excuses and late passes from students, and rarely used.

He could hear the sound of a punching bag being thrashed around roughly and panting.

He walked the short distance to the weight room, turning the corner to see his friend in shorts, a black muscle shirt and red hand wraps to protect the bones in his hands as he beat the school's punching bag that hung from the ceiling.

Wally was sure that his entrance had not been heard because of the noise being made as Joshie pummeled the bag and breathed raggedly. He watched him for a moment before taking his backpack off and dropping it on the floor. It omitted a large _thump _as it hit the ground, echoing slightly around the room.

Joshie stopped for a moment and took a step back, catching his breath. Wally saw him glance at him from the corner of a sable brown eye, and then resume hitting the bag.

He should have known, just from him being here, that something must be really wrong.

He'd known Joshua Rice since the sixth grade, and whenever he had a problem, he always took it out on his body. He'd run as far as he possibly could until he felt he might throw up, he'd test his lung capacity in the pool, holding his breath until he passed out… he'd hit a punching bag until his knuckles were bruised and bleeding. And worse.

"Hey, man, what's wrong?" Wally inquired, having to raise his voice in order to be heard.

Joshie kept at it, ducking his head as he sped up and continued to beat the heavy swinging object.

"Dude, what's wrong?" He demanded now, taking a few steps forward and spreading his arms.

The brunette grunted sharply as he made a heavier-than-usual blow.

Getting fed-up and knowing that he'd keep at it all day if he needed to, and might even skip class, Wally stalked forward, took his friend by the arm, and spun him around.

"What's wrong!"

In response, Josh swung at him. It surprised the young speedster, but due to his quick reflexes, he caught his fist before it could make contact with his face and placed the other hand on the other boy's chest, shoving him away.

The brown-eyed teenager was panting hard, sweat running down the sides of his face. He took his time to reply, knowing that Wally wouldn't let him start punching again until he got an answer.

The redhead crossed his arms. "Well?" He demanded.

Josh shook his head, still breathing heavily. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Well, we need to, bro. You're gonna beat yourself up over it, I know you."

"Let me, Wally. I need to blow off some steam."

"Last time I 'let you blow off some steam' you almost killed yourself. There's no way I'm gonna let you do that again," Wally growled, narrowing his green eyes.

"Do you have to remind me that I'm unstable?" Josh snarled in response.

To this Wally hissed, "You are _not _unstable. Unstable people have creepy laughs, and they obsess over the weirdest things, and they can't have a normal conversation with anyone, and they're just disturbing. You are _not _unstable."

"And how would _you _know? Do you ever spend any time around a crazy person? Wally, how the HELL would you KNOW?" He yelled, coming a bit closer to the speedster.

Wally narrowed his eyes. Truth be told, he didn't. Sure, he'd dealt with your average crazy criminal, but he didn't know what the first signs of a true 'mad' person were. And, looking back at Joshie's background, there _were_ some signs that his mind might possibly be just a little… unsound.

Wall shook that thought out of his head immediately. Reckless. That's what Joshie was. Reckless was totally different than crazy.

Wally gripped his friend by the shoulders roughly, forcing him to make eye contact.

"Joshua, tell me," He growled, "Just, please, okay? I don't want to watch you do this to yourself again."

The brunette squeezed his eyelids shut, trying to come to terms with himself.

"Come on, man. Please?"

"Fine." He growled, pushing away from Wally. He backed up and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't breathing as heavily now, but his chest still heaved up and down, fighting for the breath that it took him to speak. "My—my brother…"

"Frankie?" Wally prompted after Joshie had been quiet for a while. It was a useless thing to say, but at least it contributed to the fact that he was listening intently, trying to figure out why his friend was so upset. He knew Josh's brother pretty well, having been over to his house a lot. He was four years older than the two with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. He'd been a lady killer, and a jock, but his grades hadn't been too good. He'd graduated a couple of years ago.

"Yeah," Josh croaked, "He and my old man got in a-a disagreement last month… My dad was cranky because Frank hadn't planned to do anything with his life yet. They started arguing, and when I got home, they were having an all out fistfight. I instantly tried to stop 'em, you know? But the moment I stepped in, Frankie told my dad that he might as well join the military, if he wanted him out of his hair so much. That ended it, 'cuz my grandpa died in Vietnam, and my dad started apologizing, but Frankie was already mad…

"I didn't realize that he'd actually enlisted since yesterday," His voice faltered, "He's with the Marines, and he's being sent to Afghanistan."

With that being said, he fell silent.

Wally stepped forward. "Frankie's strong, Josh, he'll be fine. He'll be like, a general in no time, and you'll be so proud!"

Josh shook his head, "Yeah, whatever."

"Hey, man, look at me," Wally sighed. Josh refused to for a moment, and Wally was thinking that he might have to go through what he had a few minutes ago, again—Joshie and his stubbornness.

After a few seconds, the brunette obliged, locking eyes with the redhead. "Look, he's going to do _fine, _okay? You're freaking out about nothing. I know Frank. He'll be okay. I promise."

Josh bit his lip, but then sighed in resignation. "Alright. Thanks, man."

Wally smiled. "Anytime. High five?"

He held up his hand in an offering of happiness, and, as Joshie walked past him, he accepted it, slapping his palm against that of his outstretched friends'.

Josh continued to walk.

Wally stared after him.

"Hey, where are you going?" He demanded.

Joshie shrugged, and didn't turn around as he walked.

"Locker room. I'm sweaty, bro, and I don't want to gross the new girl out when I get her to hug me today," He explained, voice getting loud her and gaining an echo as he passed into the tiled room that contained the boys' locker room.

The speedster smiled in relief, thankful that Joshie seemed to be back to his old self and was calm for a moment.

But then his words echoed in his mind.

_Do you have to remind me that I'm unstable?_

_Do you have to remind me?_

_That I'm unstable?_

_I'm unstable?_

Wally shuddered involuntarily, feeling dread and fear creep up his spine in cold waves. Closing his eyes, he went to sit down on the bench outside the boy's locker room, listening for Joshie.

Just in case.

**A/N… Again.**

**Alright, this might ruin the slightly creepy mood, buuuut I just have to add a note here:**

**If I offended anyone or made him or her feel a little too emotional with Frankie's enlistment in the military, I apologize. My dad is a Marine, so I know what Joshie feels like, as I have to go through it every time my dad is sent away, and I expressed it here in more of a violent way (because I promise, I don't beat the crud out of myself when it happens). I have a deep respect and appreciation for the military, and any mention of them in this fic is done so to help the plot line and give it a real-world feel.**

**Okay, with that being said, I also have to say that Wally may seem a little OOC as this fic progresses. I'm basing him off of what he's like in the various shows I've seen him in: Teen Titans, Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and, of course, Young Justice (The episode Bereft especially). So, bear with me, guys, he's gonna be the jokester he always is, but he's gonna be sensitive and sweet, too. If you've never seen him that way, I recommend you watch Lightspeed from Season Five of Teen Titans. :)**

**And also, one more thing. Joshie's got a lot to do with the plot, BUT he's more like an obstacle, I guess you could say. Without him, Wally wouldn't be in the state he was in the prologue. :O**

**Please leave a review, and tell me what you thought of the chapter! :D**

**-Mars**


	6. Chapter 5: Fears

**A/N**

**Hey, everyone!**

**To those of you who reviewed, thank ya kindly :)**

**And to La Escritora Hermosa, tell your dad I say thank you for serving our country, and that I'll pray for his safety :)**

**So, not much Waltemis, or Spitfire, or whatever you call it in the past chapter, but it was very important. Lots of foreshadowing :)**

**This chapter, will have the usual angry type of THEM, however, so I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Young Justice… If I did, Roy, Connor, and Wally would be my personal man-servants :O**

Chapter 5

_Mount Justice, December 11__th__, 5:17 PM_

"Team, report to the mission room," Batman's deep monotone echoed through the cave, and Wally dropped his pencil in both frustration and excitement.

The sudden mission would give him something to do to calm his currently racing mind and anxious body, since he'd been sitting still and trying to do his math assignment for the past 10 minutes, and sitting still for that long usually made him feel fidgety and irritable.

As for his racing mind, it wasn't his homework that was making him think. In truth, he was rather good at math, being a science prodigy and all.

He was still trying to figure out Artemis, and now, he was worried about Joshie, too.

Worst case scenarios kept playing inside of his head, and he'd have to remind himself that Joshie wasn't alone, that his mom and dad would look after him, and that they were slightly aware of his small problem.

He just couldn't help but feel anxiety for his friend.

Standing up, Wally pushed himself away from the desk in his room at the base and turned to face the yellow wall where his costume hung, along with select posters of a few of his favorite bands, cars, and, yeah… actresses.

He reached out and took his costume by the collar, lowering it down to his face to get dressed.

Moments later, he was zooming out the door, leaving the few papers on his desk to fly in his wake.

He was the first person to get to the mission room, naturally. Batman gave him a small nod, and only a second later, Robin and Aqualad shuffled into the room, followed closely by Superboy, then Megan, and, last of all, Artemis.

Wally gave his blonde teammate a small scowl, and she mirrored his face with her own, giving him the same treatment.

"Alright, we've got a situation," Batman began to debrief.

Wally muttered under his breath to Robin, whom had chosen to stand beside him, "Well, no duh, that's why we're _here."_

The Dark Knight, whose face molded into a fierce glare as he turned to stare at the speedster, heard the comment. Wally's face fell and he instantly became quiet.

"Anyway," He continued, "A Gotham City Wrestling Championship champion has gone missing, the most recent one to win at that."

"You mean Hank Roberts?" Robin asked, obviously trying to pull together clues to figure out what it was they were dealing with.

"Yes," Batman replied, giving him a brief nod, "He is a heavyweight, and his body mass and muscle is so exceptional, he has been accused many times of using steroids."

"Oh, I've heard of him!" Artemis piped up suddenly, "And they tested his blood and he was completely clean, so he's just disturbingly huge! That's why his nickname's _'Monstrosity'_ because it means '_Freak of Nature.'_"

The two younger boys turned to raise an eyebrow at Artemis, surprised that she knew this information, while the others looked on, awaiting further instruction.

"Precisely," Batman said, nodding again. "And, like I was saying, he has gone missing."

"So… we must locate this 'Hank Roberts?'" Kaldur asked.

The older man shook his head. "The League has already located him. It's _your _job to rescue him."

With this, the disguised Bruce Wayne turned to type in some keys on the computer on the wall. A large diagram of what looked to be a hospital was projected above them as Batman began to clarify the mission more.

"He's being held by The League of Shadows at the Rathen State Hospital in Massachusetts (**A/N Every website I go to doesn't say where it is, so I'm sorry if I got that wrong)**. It was built and opened in 1848 and founded by Dorthea Dix, and Dr. Thomas Kirkbride devised the linear building plan, making it the first to be built following the Kirkbride plan, as it became popular for the next fifty years in the construction of asylums until it was criticized for an outdated design and maintenance costs. Furthermore—"

"—Wait," Artemis interrupted suddenly, "Asylum?"

Batman's face remained a stoic mask. But at the blonde's question, he raised an eyebrow inside of his mask. "Yes. Is there a problem?"

"Uh, no," She said, pulling her long ponytail over her shoulder and fiddling with the end. "Continue, please."

"Furthermore," The Dark Knight began again, agitation dripping from his deep voice, "The good thing about it following the Kirkbride plan, is that it's easy to find and follow, as you can see here," He motioned to the black and white blueprint on the wall as he said this, and continued with the history, "In 1907, a new medical assistant was added to the then-flourishing 'hospital,' which was it's downfall, as he was too cruel with his patients, causing most of them to have absolutely no teeth due to tooth decay, which led to them having much discomfort with no ability to eat. A case was filed against the doctor in 1925 after some concerns were voiced against his work, and he became ill during the hearing. He was dismissed from the hospital and the case never reopened. In the 1940's, overcrowding and no funds became a problem, and quite a few patients died due to this. It closed shortly thereafter, meaning that it is now abandoned."

"Alright, got it," Robin said, a little snippy that his mentor had added many details in with the description of the mission, "So, what's the plan?"

"Three teams of two. Robin and Miss Martian, you two will take the last half of the men's 1st ward and the entire 2nd ward," He commanded, motioning to their part of the building. The redheaded girl and the Boy Wonder nodded in unison.

"Superboy and Aqualad, you will take the first half of the men's and women's 1st wards and also the main sector."

Said members of the team grunted in understanding as they accepted their part of the mission.

Biting the inside of his cheek, the realization of who hadn't been called yet dawned on Wally. He groaned inwardly as Batman spoke again.

"Lastly, Kid Flash and Artemis will take the last half of the women's 1st ward and the entire 2nd ward as well. Remember to be nearly silent, as our enemies are occupying this place. Good luck, team," He finished, and then, with a swish of his black, jagged-ended cape, he ambled out of the room.

Wally spared a glance at his partner, whom he noticed to be looking at him, as well. His eyes narrowed slightly and she rolled hers in return before walking in the direction that the rest of the team was taking and heading to the bio-ship.

_Rathen State Hospital, December 11__th__, 6:30 PM_

The bio-ship vibrated slightly as it touched down on the grass outside of the abandoned asylum.

Megan relaxed slightly from her place in the middle of the alien aircraft and took her hands off of her steering device.

"Okay, guys, it's going to stay invisible while we're in there so we won't be detected. If you come outside, be careful not to run into it, all right?" The now black-clad Martian said, teasing voice full of affection when she reached her last sentence.

"You've got it, babe," Wally nearly sighed, winking and giving a thumbs-up as he leaned back in his chair for a small second, then stood to his feet and sped to the door.

"Hey, Baywatch, don't get too excited. We're not supposed to be _detected, _remember?" Artemis said through her teeth, masked face full of annoyance.

"Oh, right," He said, although he gave the archer a small glare beforehand. He touched the emblem on his chest, and his outfit immediately changed color to a black getup.

"Team, we must split up here. We cannot risk all walking through the front doors. There are probably some exits or windows on the far sides of the building, so you all must enter there," Aqualad instructed, gray eyes grave. "Superboy and I will most likely have to use a window, as well."

The group split into their respective units and all nodded.

Miss Martian turned to Robin, "I, myself, can turn invisible, and if I touch others and will it, they'll be invisible, too. May I?"

Robin smirked his usual smirk and shook his head, "I don't need it, I promise."

Wally rolled his eyes and muttered something unintelligible under his breath about a, "Midget ninja showoff."

With that, the Martian and Boy Wonder quietly departed to make their way to the west side of the ward.

Aqualad frowned, realizing that he and Superboy didn't have much for camouflage. "We must stick to the shadows," He told the clone, who nodded, his blue eyes determined to complete the mission.

The two also left, sticking to the small copse trees on the right side of the bio-ship before creeping to the very front of the hospital.

Wally sighed loudly, already knowing what he'd have to do in order to get them there quietly, quickly, and undetected.

"Alright, before you scream at me and bite my head off," He began, "Just know that this will help the mission, and that we'll be out of each other's hair faster, okay?"

Artemis groaned and stood up, taking the few steps necessary to reach his side. She flared her nostrils, looking rather annoyed. Without another word, she extended her arms.

"Just do it. I'll close my eyes," She growled.

Wally frowned slightly, and then lifted her shapely legs off of the ground, picking her up bridal-style. She proceeded to wrap her arms around his neck, hesitantly press her face into his lean chest, and, just like she'd said, she squeezed her eyes shut.

Her face twisted with minor discomfort as the speedster took off, exiting the ship in less than a heartbeat. He crossed the two miles separating their transportation unit from the far end of the east wing in no more than five seconds, and deposited her gently on the ground.

Artemis shivered from the cool night air as the wind stopped buffeting her body and her feet touched the ground. She'd been almost grateful for Wally's warmth as the December breeze tickled her arms, legs, chest and back, and now its absence was almost painful. Noticing that she'd thought about Wally, Artemis quickly brushed the thought away with pink tinting her scowling face.

Noticing the girl's shiver, Wally raised an eyebrow. "Cold?" He asked, and it was almost a mocking tone.

"No," She answered back in a harsh whisper, "Let's just find an entrance so we can get out of the open."

"Fine with me."

The two stuck together, skirting the edge of the building and looking for a door or a window in a crouch. They found one about fifty yards away, and Kid Flash quietly and discreetly rose his head a few inches to peer inside. His eyes were greeted by a dilapidated-looking hallway that failed to meet the shape of it's almost grand, yet shoddy exterior. White paint was peeling horribly from the ceilings and walls, and doors throughout the hallway were decorated with large holes, which left little to the imagination about what was beyond the entrances.

Wally eyes widened and he grimaced at the sight.

Artemis, whom had been watching the speedster intently for a reaction, tensed visibly.

"What is it? Are there assassins in there?" She pressed.

With a small shake of his head, his green eyes met hers. "No, the inside of this place just makes my room look spotless and organized."

The side of Artemis' mouth almost lifted up in a half-smile. Almost. "I'd believe it," She said instead, "What does the window look like? Is it broken? Is there glass in it at all? Can we get through?"

"Yeah, yeah," He confirmed, waving a hand at her, "Enough with the questions. You sound like my control-freak grandma."

Artemis glared at him coldly, but he ignored it as he stood up to further examine their entrance to the asylum.

There was no glass at all on the window; it looked like it had been busted out long ago. The only thing that remained were the wooden bars that had once probably made it look presentable, and the torn fragments of a screen.

Wally touched the wood to test it, and found that it was sort of damp. With a small grunt, he grabbed it with one hand and pulled. With a crack, the wood splintered, creating a sizable hole in the window and causing him to fall on his butt from the force.

"Looks like we're in," He said, his voice strained as he stood up and rubbed his rear end.

"Nice work," His female teammate said, her voice half-sarcastic, half-praising.

She lifted herself up and climbed through the window, folding her body into a summersault to land on her feet in the hallway on the other side. She scrunched her nose up in distaste when she finally viewed the place, and grudgingly agreed with Wally in her mind about its state.

The said speedster plopped down next to her on the soles of his boots and put his hands on his hips, surveying the scene again.

His face contorted into another grimace for a few brief seconds, and then faded back to a calm demeanor.

The pair stayed quiet for a small amount of time, listening for anything that would give away activity in this corridor.

It also gave Wally the amount of time necessary for his mind to wander to the subject of Artemis' secrets. Accusations and questions floated through his mind, and his eyes flicked from the doorway he had previously been focusing on to her face.

Her gaze was roaming around the room and she stood straight, searching her surrounding for any sign of criminal activity in this place. But, suddenly, realizing that she was being watched, she turned her head to face Wally.

He felt blood rush to his cheeks as he found that he had been caught.

"What?" She demanded, and he narrowed his eyes before shaking his head.

"Nothing," He muttered, before starting to stalk quietly towards the nearest doorway, which happened to have no door at all.

Following suit, the dark-green-clad girl walked to the next closest door down from him and peered in. All they both found was a room that was in the same shape as the hallway they were standing in with a few random items placed here and there, including a lamp, and a table for the archer and a rusty wheelchair for Wally.

They completed their inspections of the room at almost the exact same time and looked at each other for clarification.

"Nothing in here," The redhead responded, and Artemis nodded.

"Nothing here, either."

They checked out the remaining five rooms in that hallway, and quickly moved to the archway that led to the main hall that navigated them through the 2nd wing of the women's sector.

Neither had said a word the entire time, and as they moved quietly to another hallway that looked much the same as the last one, Artemis noticed this.

It was unlike Wally to be silent. She was actually a quiet person, but that was only when she wasn't being spoken to or didn't have a problem with something, so her silence wasn't out of the ordinary. Kid Flash started bullshit, he didn't respond to it, and he had a problem with being quiet and being still, she had noticed in the short amount of time they had been together on the team.

She examined his face, and he appeared to be in thought, but his green eyes were still focused even though they were distant.

"Why are you so quiet?" She asked curiously, but it came out as more of an accusation.

He shrugged, "Just thinking."

She was about to ask, '_about what?' _but the feeling of someone watching her interrupted her. A shiver ran up her spine and she discreetly looked over her shoulder, left hand ready to reach up into her quiver, grab an arrow, and fit it to her crossbow and fire in case something happened, but she saw nothing.

A feeling of nausea crept over her suddenly, and she squeezed her eyes shut and stopped in her tracks as the momentum of the situation washed over her.

She was in a creepy old asylum that was most likely haunted because people had died in it, with only one other person that could easily be taken out if he were caught, and the rest of her group was about a mile away. Abrupt, uncharacteristic fear filled her veins and she trembled slightly as she looked up at her surroundings, staring at the moldy, peeling roof.

Wally had continued to walk, noticing a second later that his partner had stopped. He looked behind his shoulder, saw her standing there trembling and looking disoriented, and quickly backtracked.

"Hey," He said softly, his soft-side showing briefly toward Artemis as he put a calming hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

She nodded hurriedly and continued to walk, "I-I'm fine," She said shakily.

Wally picked up his pace slightly to match her steps again. Catching the almost panicked looks she was shooting around the place as they approached the first doorway, he swiftly realized what must be wrong.

"Wait a minute, are you _scared?"_ He asked, disbelief clear in his tone, although his voice was free of scorn.

Artemis' mouth became dry.

"NO," She growled, "This place is just creepy…"

She didn't want to be vulnerable right now; her small fear of ghosts and the supernatural didn't need attention now or really ever.

Ever since she'd been a little girl, she'd been taught to be fearless, to be the thing that others feared. But she _was_ scared of the paranormal, eerie activity that went on in the world. Mostly because it was a mystery. Because it wasn't on the side of good, or evil, and she didn't know how to take it. She couldn't control it, and because of that, she'd made it her enemy. The enemy she couldn't see, nor could she ever find its weakness. This scared her more than anything.

Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't realized that Wally had continued to study her face.

"You _are _scared, aren't you?" He said softly, tilting his head to the side so he could see her eyes better.

Artemis turned on her fiercest glare and let him receive it, but his features remained soft and calm, which made her want to be honest with him, in the strangest way.

"I'm not scared," She muttered, but the last word was drowned out as the sound of a hollow, tin can hitting the floor rang out through the corridor.

Both whipped around, Artemis drawing an arrow from her quiver, fitting it to her bow and stretching the string back, preparing to fire. Her arms were trembling.

A small squeaking sound came from the direction of the other noise, and Wally pointed out a rat, scurrying away from the rusty old container that had rolled out of one of the doors. It had probably knocked it from a shelf or a table.

Wally's shoulders relaxed and Artemis let out a shaky breath of relief as they turned back around and continued to patrol the area.

She lowered her bow, but kept the arrow on the string. Her arms were still shaking, and now her breath was slightly uneven.

Wally shook his head and stopped abruptly, reaching out to grip his blonde teammate by the shoulders.

"Hey, be honest with me here, okay?" He said, and when she looked at the ground behind him, he reached forward with his right hand to gently lift her chin so she'd look him in the eye while he kept his left hand on her shoulder.

"What?" She grumbled, trying to keep a straight face.

"You know what. Are you scared right now? Because I can run you back to the ship and patrol here on my own," He offered.

She shook her head tensely, feeling even more terrified for him if he'd have to be here in this place all by himself. "No, no I'm okay, I'm not scared."

"Stop lying to me," Kid Flash growled.

They stared at each other for about thirty seconds, before the blonde finally cracked, not wanting to waste any more time and get out of there as soon as possible.

"Fine. I'm scared. I don't like ghosts…" She sighed, barely making the last sentence audible.

Her red-haired teammate heard nonetheless. "Ghosts? There's no such thing as ghosts, beautiful."

"Yeah, that's what you believe," She growled, gripping the tip of the shaft of her arrow with the same fingers that held her bow to reach up with her now-free hand to take his hand off of her chin.

"Hey, nothing's gonna happen, alright? I'll make sure of it," He replied, feeling kind of disappointed that she'd removed his hold on her face.

Her eyes darted away from him. Wally sighed. "Hug?"

She shrugged him off and continued to walk down the hall in the direction they had previously been heading. "No. There's no time."

"Right," The speedster muttered, rubbing the back of his neck and following, a little disappointed.

They inspected the next few rooms, much as they had the past ones. There was still no sign of the League of Shadows.

Five minutes of silence passed, becoming another time of thinking for Kid Flash.

He realized for the umpteenth time that he knew nearly nothing about Artemis. He added this new fact—that she was scared of ghosts—to his small, almost nonexistent database of her in his head.

Unexpectedly, Wally started laughing.

Artemis scoffed and threw him a withering glance.

"What?" She hissed.

He stopped laughing and gave her a small smirk.

"Nothing," He answered smugly.

"No, I want to know what you were laughing about."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Okay," He said, "I was laughing about you."

This caused her even greater annoyance. "And _why_ were you laughing about me?"

"Because your fear is normal," He answered.

Her eyebrows scrunched together, confusion spreading across her face. "It is?"

"Yeah, tons of people are scared of ghosts. And you're trying to hide it. You've got nothing to be ashamed of, it's not like you're afraid of the color yellow or something, because _that _would be embarrassing," He explained, becoming his chatty self.

"Uh, thanks…," She said, a little unsure.

"No, thank _you _for telling me. I feel like I know you a little better."

"You don't wanna know me."

"Yeah, I kinda do, and I kinda need to in order to be able to work with you. I need to know how you think, your limits, your strengths and weaknesses, and, at this moment in time, the most important thing that I need to know is why the hell you're in _my _city for protection!" He hissed, his voice rising slightly at the end.

"Wally, don't start this," Artemis returned icily through her teeth.

"No, I _am _starting this! I need to know!"

"No you don't."

"Yes, I do," The speedster growled, putting on a demanding, yet smug smile.

This infuriated the archer even more, causing her to get louder.

"Why don't you just shut up?" She screamed, and her voice echoed off of the walls of the dilapidated building.

It was quiet for a brief moment, and the two stared off in different directions, listening tensely.

It appeared that nothing was wrong.

But then it seemed like the shadows started to squirm and crawl, pressing up against them.

Wally barely had enough time to utter, "Shit," before they were attacked from both sides by a group of assassins, clad in black.

Three surrounded Artemis, pressing her into a wall while the other two started closing in on Kid Flash.

Being too close to use her bow, the archer used her arrow instead, utilizing it as a small spear-like weapon.

One of the ninjas aimed a blow at her head, and she swiftly dodged it, causing his fist to collide with the wall that had been behind her head only a heartbeat before instead.

While he was pulling his hand out of the wall, Artemis took this opportunity to stab her arrow into his leg and drag it down a few inches. The man grunted in agony, and Artemis realized that she had planted it too deep for her to easily fish it out.

Instead, she reached up to grab another arrow, and faced her remaining two opponents.

Wally, on the other hand, was holding his own quite well. The killers were fast, but, due to his powers, he was faster. He was speeding around them, delivering blows and kicks to their backs, stomachs and heads. However, he didn't expect one of their feet to snake out, making him trip and go sliding across the floor.

The redhead grimaced as he felt the skin beneath his outfit scrape against the concrete. It was almost tear-resistant, thank goodness, otherwise he'd have a pretty bad scrape on the front of his body, but nonetheless, the brief contact still hurt.

Kid Flash reached up with his hands before his enemies could leap upon him, pressed them to the ground, and flipped over, landing in a crouch. He stood and brushed himself off quickly, then sped back to them to finish them off.

Artemis had taken out the second assassin and was now facing the last one. She was feeling slightly panicked because she knew that they were taking too long. By now, these ninjas could've called for backup, and that new, refreshed horde, would probably be well on their way by now.

The assassin, Artemis recognized that she was female, managed to land a few quick punches to her cheeks. The blonde hissed in pain as her cheeks were grazed and punctured by her teeth under the pressure, and pressed her back against the wall behind her to kick her feet out, hitting the other female in the stomach.

The ninja staggered backwards, clutching her stomach in agony as she bent over, probably preparing to throw up.

Artemis looked away in disgust, and found herself looking at Kid Flash. He was fighting off his last opponent as well, and it looked like a game of cat and mouse. The speedster was teasing him, jabbing him in different places on his body to make him turn around many times, only to be hit in a different place to confuse him even more.

Suddenly, M'Gann's voice sounded in Artemis' head.

_Artemis and Wally, Robin and I found Hank and Superboy and Aqualad helped us fight off the assassins that were guarding him and the scientist they hired to um… anyway, we need to leave, _Came the sweet voice.

"Wally," Artemis called over to him, a little annoyed that he was wasting time.

"Already heard her," He responded, and then mentally said, _We'll be there shortly, babe._

The blonde rolled her eyes as Kid Flash finally finished off his last opponent, who dropped to the ground in an exhausted heap.

"Are you too tired to get us both back?" She asked, half-hopeful, half-anxious.

He shook his head and wiped his hands as if he had just picked up something dirty.

"Nah. Besides, I know how much you want me to carry you, and I don't want to disappoint," He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes again. "Save it for school," She muttered, "Let's go back to where we came in and get out that way."

He nodded, but his eyes were twinkling with good humor.

They jogged to the window they had entered through, not wanting to stay in the building for any much longer, Artemis especially.

Both climbed nimbly through the gap and dropped to the other side. Once there, Artemis reached out hesitantly with her arms again, and Wally proceeded to pick her up.

This time, the run seemed to be longer, and she opened her eyes and watched the landscape roll by at nearly the speed of light. Her eyes watered slightly and she found it easier to see if she looked up, since the wind would be to the back of her head.

Of course, for her, Wally's head was up, but she didn't realize this until she had been staring at him for a while.

She couldn't help it. He looked kind of adorable when he was running.

His goggles hid the true color of his eyes and the wind whipped his unruly red hair around. He also had this cute little look of concentration plastered on his face, and she compared it to her own when she was working with hand-to-hand combat or her bow.

Sensing that he was being watched, Wally looked down at her. He gave her a crooked smile that was almost nervous.

"What?" He asked.

She shook her head and looked away, remembering suddenly the Wally she had seen only about twenty minutes ago, the Wally that she had also seen in Bialya. He'd cared about her wellbeing. Not to say that he didn't anyway, because he kind of had to since he was a hero, but he actually seemed to genuinely care on his own, like he chose to. She felt her face heat up at this thought and her sudden realization of their close proximity.

She could feel the tightness of his muscles in his chest, and she noticed that staring at his biceps was actually kind of fun because they were so big…

Grasping what was happening, Artemis mentally shook her head. She felt her insides squirm uncomfortably, unable to believe that she had actually been thinking those thoughts about _Wally._ She hadn't seen Superboy in a while, maybe her sick, teenaged mind was hungry for man-candy and she was taking whatever it was she could get, even if it was the type of man-candy that had been opened, spit on, and tossed on the ground.

He put her down unexpectedly and she nearly tumbled forward with the sudden weight on her feet, but he caught her around the waist and steadied her.

Her face burned and she quickly brushed his hands off with a muttered, "Thanks."

"No prob," He said, and then passed her, heading to the bio-ship.

The rest of the team was already on board and everyone was in his or her seats, short of Robin who was currently examining a huge, bulky man on a stretcher in a corner of the ship.

Wally paused to look at Artemis in curiosity, and they both made their way over to him.

"This is Hank Roberts, obviously," Robin said in a way of greeting, "I gathered that the League of Shadows hired a scientist—who's in restraints and is sitting by Superboy right now," He explained, motioning over to the other side of the ship. The two looked, and sure enough, a man dressed in a white lab coat was tied up and leaning against what looked like a file-cabinet drawer next to Superman's clone, who sat in his place. The black-haired boy had his back to them.

The two faced Robin again as he continued to explain, "Anyway, we got out of him that he was testing blood samples to figure out what made Hank the way he was. They wanted to enhance their—"

"—Blockbuster thing?" Artemis guessed.

"You've got it," Robin sighed.

Wally shook his head, "Should've known."

Robin smirked. "Well, you two should probably get back to your seats. We need to get back to the base as soon as possible. Bats will probably want to ask the scientist-dude a few questions of his own."

A knowing snicker went through the three of them, knowing that the Dark Knight would probably want to do more than ask questions.

Artemis and Wally turned and prepared to go to their seats, but beforehand, the redhead gripped the blonde by the shoulder.

She turned her head to look at him.

"You know that conversation we were having before we were attacked?"

She narrowed her eyes, but didn't move.

"That discussion is _not _over," He finished in a whisper, giving her a glare, and then going to his controls and seat.

Artemis groaned inwardly.

Because if he really knew, he'd give her a lot of sympathy.

Unfortunately, in the situation she was in now, sympathy would get her nowhere.


	7. Chapter 6: Confrontation

**A/N**

**A bit of romance in the last chapter, even though it wasn't voiced, but it's gonna get better and better and angstier, too. I don't know if that's what you guys want, but that's what you're gonna get.**

**Anyway, thanks to Anna Maria xoxo, crazyveve, Rikuhime, freckleKaren, and Karma222 for reviewing!**

**This update is going to be sort of short, possibly my shortest, but the previous one was about three times longer than usual, so I hope that makes up for it :)**

**Also, you'll catch a hint of Wally's distaste for his father here.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice, nor do I own DC Comics. If I did, there would be a new episode out every day. Since a new episode hasn't aired since March, I obviously don't own.**

Chapter 6

_Central City High School, December 12__th__, 3:03 PM._

The air was filled with the sound of shivering, conversing teenagers as they filed out of the front and backside of the building, having just gotten out of school.

The sky was gray, the trees dotting the outside of the field and courtyard bare and dark looking. Steam from humans breathing and the rumbling of cars and busses were evident at this point in time.

The people were split into three groups: Two bunching at the front of the school—one for transportation by car to home and one by foot—and one bunching at the back which would be those who would take the busses home.

Four boys stood apart from these three groups, remaining by the back door, as if waiting for something. Or someone.

Wally had his arms crossed, standing in front of his friends. He was trying his hardest to keep the glare off of his face.

"Dude, what are you doing, already?" The Greatness growled, growing slightly impatient. The blonde was holding his flip-phone out in front of him, eyeing a text message he had recently received from his female parental unit. "I've gotta leave now, and if you don't come with, my mom won't give you a ride home!"

Ray, who had previously been fiddling with the newly broken zipper on his dark blue hoodie suddenly perked up, blue eyes wide with anxiety.

A sudden gust of wind blew his short hair around and he reached up to rake his hand through it. "Dude, are you gonna take the bus? You can probably just take mine with me and come to my house…"

Raymond and Wally's other two friends exchanged worried glances, a message passing through them silently.

The redhead in the group shook his head, still eyeing the doorway and the now-dwindling crowd.

"I'll just walk to my aunt and uncles'," He said quietly, "I haven't been home in a while and I don't feel like dealing with my dad."

His friends nodded solemnly, and said nothing.

Only a second later, Alex's phone rang. He looked down at the caller-ID as a cheery ring tone filled everyone's ears and grimaced.

He pressed the green button and held the silver piece of plaster to his ear.

"Hello?" He said, almost tentatively, and the person immediately started speaking so fast and loud that he had to hold the cellular device away from his ear.

"Wally, my mom's getting mad. It's now or never, bro, we could drop you off," The Greatness offered.

Wally shook his head, "No thanks, man. I've gotta take care of something."

The light-haired boy huffed and placed the receiver to his ear again. "Alright, alright, I'm coming, mom!" He sighed as he began to walk away. There was a short pause and then he replied again, "No, Wally's not coming," before throwing a goodbye over his shoulder to his friends and walking to the other side of the school, still talking with his obviously PMS-ing mother.

With The Greatness gone, the other three remained, Wally still intent on his task, Joshie and Ray still clueless as to what in the word that was.

"Dude, we're gonna miss our—" Joshie began, but was interrupted when Wally's shoulders suddenly tensed and he strode toward the crowd with a purpose still unknown to his two lingering friends.

The two brunettes exchanged a glance of confusion and followed the redhead out of pure curiosity.

The speedster slid himself between the last group of people slipping out of the back doors, uttering quick apologies while still keeping his eyes on the subject of his thoughts for the past day.

He'd decided after lunch that she couldn't just brush him off if he asked to talk to her privately at school in front of other people, because it would be kind of weird if she suddenly started shrieking at him to shut up and walked away from him.

He found her walking beside none other than Bridget Miller, who had her dark hair in a ponytail and was wearing a baggy band t-shirt over the top of her jeans. Artemis herself was dressed in something of the like, except her shirt was tight, unsurprisingly green and long-sleeved.

"Hey, girls," Wally greeted them brightly, earning a similar greeting in return from each.

Deciding to get right to the point, he shocked the two by placing a hand on Artemis' arm and asking if he could speak to her in private while motioning to a deserted spot under a brittle, nearby tree.

Bridget and Artemis had brief eye contact to where the blonde seemed to be asking if it were okay. Bridget gave her a smile and her eyes widened for only a moment before she stepped away from her in the direction of the busses.

"I'll wait for you. Hurry, though," She said before turning and walking away.

"Thanks, Bridge!" Artemis called after her, and the brunette waved her off with a hand as she continued on her way.

The blonde archer looked up at Wally, signaling for him to lead the way.

He did so, gently escorting her to the tree he had motioned to only moments before.

Once there, Artemis smiled at him, but he could see the real emotion in her blue eyes: (**A/N I'm aware that they're really dark grey, but I already put blue in earlier chapters and I don't want to go back and change all of it, so let's pretend that they're blue.) **Irritation.

"What?" She snapped, betraying the emotion he had suspected was deep down inside of her.

"I told you our conversation from yesterday wasn't done," He replied simply, and her smile faltered slightly before growing again, looking kind of fake.

"You couldn't wait until we were at the base?" She growled.

He shook his head and gave her a smile of his own, "I figured you couldn't shout at me here and that you'd have to give me an answer."

"There's one thing that you didn't consider," Artemis said with a slight smirk.

His eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What?" He prompted; trying to go through every other thing she could do in public in his mind.

"This," She murmured, before the smile fell from her face, only to be replaced with a disgusted and baffled smirk. "No, you pervert!" She yelled, and then stormed past him in the way the Bridget had gone.

Wally stared ahead of him before smacking his forehead with an open palm.

_She's Artemis! I should have thought she'd do this! _He thought angrily before turning quickly and grabbing hold of her arm, tugging her back kindly.

People were staring.

"Alright, look," He said quietly, but not menacingly, just in a way that made him sound business-like and formal. It was the superhero shining through him, looking out for the greater-good. "I need to know what the threat is. This is _my _city after all, I'm one of the main guardians of it and I have a right to know. I'm getting _concerned, _okay? You should know how I'm feeling, you've got a place of your own to protect."

His teammate scoffed and jerked her arm out of his grasp.

She turned to him and leaned towards him so he could hear her.

"You're smart, Wally," She hissed, "I've seen you in class and in action, but let me just tell you, that with people, you're kind of an idiot. You miss the things that are right in front of your nose."

And with that, she stomped away, rushing to catch up with her new friend.

The speedster stood there, stunned into silence. He felt bewildered, agitated, and still very confused because he had no idea what she was talking about.

He reached up and ran his left hand through his red hair.

At this time, Joshie reached his side, Ray having had to catch his bus before it left.

"You missed your bus?" Wally asked numbly.

Joshie nodded, looking after Artemis before turning to his best friend and studying his face cautiously.

"So… what was that?" He asked, still being wary.

"Nothing," Wally muttered, turning to walk to the front of the school, lost in his thoughts. He wasn't paying attention to whether the brunette was following or not.

Unsurprisingly, Joshua stuck to his side, still trying to figure out what had just happened.

He asked the first thing that came to his mind.

"Uh… did you ask her out or something?"

"Yup," Wally said, popping the "p." It was easier to lie although it made him squirm inside.

"I'm gonna guess she said no… why'd she call you a pervert?"

The redhead shrugged, and once he got to the front of the school, he started walking west toward his Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris' house.

"I dunno," He sighed, "I guess she thought I was trying to get her to do something else?"

"Weird," Joshie mumbled, before voicing what probably never stopped going through his mind, "But she's still hot."

"Indeed," The speedster droned, not even paying attention to what he was saying, nor what he was being asked.

As the two walked home, Joshie kept babbling on, and Wally remained in his thoughts.

_You miss the things that are right in front of your nose._

Were the answers really that obvious?


	8. Chapter 7: Firewall

**A/N**

**Alright, I have a warning:**

**There's that cliché fire-scene in this chapter.**

**But, I swear, it's different because she admits to things!**

**She tells him she loves him and they live happily ever after! :D**

**Just kidding, there's way too much drama and too many secrets for it to end that quickly.**

**Anyway, thanks to Kf-AxxMexx, Rikuhime, GrayAreas, chaneldancegrl, shesxsuperxfreaky, Jack V, Reader, crazyveve, Black Licorice Addict, Rochellu, Anna Marie xoxo, InstruMental, and ygirl87 for reviewing!**

**Enjoy the chapter! Beware the slight fluff!**

**Disclaimer: I did not create fire, nor did I create Young Justice.**

Chapter 7

_Central City Sunny Apartment Complex, December 12__th__, 8:34 PM_

"Oh, thank you!" The younger woman all but cried, taking the crying toddler into her arms and enveloping her in a hug, wiping the ash and tears from her face, "Thank you so much, Speedy!"

Kid Flash tried not to roll his eyes. After all, they were supposed to be nice to these people while they saved them. (The word 'they' referred to himself, Miss Martian, Aqualad, Robin, and most of the time, Superboy. Not the female archer, for she had an attitude that was starting to become known among the public).

"It's Kid Flash, ma'am," He said kindly instead.

She responded with another thank you and he gave her a small smile and a salute before racing back inside of the burning building, senses alert for the next cry of distress.

Aqualad stood outside, using his powers to control and tame the huge fire as best as he could.

Superboy was currently holding up a collapsing outside wall, ushering a crabby older man through a crack in the wall and into the safety that was outside.

Megan was floating over the burning wreckage, hands to her temples as she tried to sense if anyone else was inside and kept up the mental link between her and the rest of her team.

Robin had exited just behind Kid Flash, a girl about his age in his arms. The boy was obviously stronger than he looked and had been an excellent help, but he was slower than the speedster, of course.

And, right now, Wally had absolutely no idea where Artemis was.

She had glared at him full-on when Batman had called them once again to the mission room earlier in the night. Wally hadn't had the energy to return it, wasting all of it on thinking about 'what was right under his nose.' He honestly hadn't been paying much attention to what the Dark Knight was saying until he had said the words, "_Fire in downtown Central City."_

The redhead had become instantly suspicious that it was the work of this mysterious criminal that Artemis was supposed to help him protect the city from, and he had been eager to help his city and the people in it and find the crook.

And, feeling really guilty, he still hadn't stopped thinking about Artemis' words.

In fact, he was thinking of them now. Which was why he had almost gotten smashed under a huge piece of burning timber that had fallen from the ceiling of the room he was racing through.

Skidding to a stop, Kid Flash managed to turn the other way, barely avoiding it as he dove through a nearby doorway and shielded his head with his hands.

The wood collapsed with a loud _thud! _And Wally was up again, continuing in his search through the building.

He stopped in his tracks again when he heard another cry for help, but this time accompanied by a, "_Shut up and hold still, kid. I _am _the help!"_

The redhead smiled to himself as he released a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He hadn't seen Artemis since the beginning of the mission and hearing her voice gave him a feeling of relief.

Adjusting his goggles, the speedster climbed the stairs to the second floor where he suspected the cry and irritated gasp had come from.

He deemed his suspicions correct as he turned into the right corridor and heard a bout of coughing inside one of the doors.

He poked his head in and squinted, trying to see through the smoke and flames.

"Artemis? Are you in here?" He called.

Another bout of coughing.

"Yeah, over here. He's stuck," She said, her voice tight, and he felt very alarmed as he realized that she'd been the one who had coughed. He needed to get her and the person she was helping out of here quickly before they completely collapsed from lack of clean air.

He saw them through the smoke. There was a wall that had collapsed, and under it was a small body. Artemis was kneeling beside it, trying to force it up so the person could crawl out.

Assessing the room, he noticed that half of it was enveloped in flames while the other was dark. They were in the dark part, but they were too close to the light for his liking.

"Don't go toward the light!" He called, voicing his thoughts, half-teasing, half-serious.

"Shut up and get over here, W—Dude!" The blonde archer hissed.

Doing as she said, completely humorless now, he hurried over to where they were.

It was a little boy that was under the wall. His face was covered in ash and his tears carved their way through the middle of his cheeks, leaving a clear path. His hair was so dark from the cinders, Wally couldn't tell what color it was, and his features were contorted into a painful grimaced.

At his sudden arrival, the child looked up at him.

"Hey," He coughed, "You're Kid Flash!"

Feeling momentary elation, Wally thrust his fists into the sky and turned his face upward. "Yes, finally someone gets me name right!"

"Kid, a little help over here," Artemis hissed.

"Right. Sorry."

The redhead leaned down, bracing his shoulder against the bottom of the wall and gripping the top with his free hand. Artemis did the same.

"Okay. On three," Wally said. Artemis nodded, and together, they counted and lifted.

With a giant heave, the wall was off of the top of the boy.

Artemis looked down and gasped.

"His leg's broken!"

"Then grab him. I'll hold this," Wally gasped out, still holding up the wall.

Artemis looked unsure, but quickly relinquished her hold and leaned down, carefully scooping the boy up in her arms.

As soon as the two were safely away from it, Wally let it go and it slammed back onto the ground, this time no obstacle keeping it from it's destined resting place.

"You two alright?" Wally panted.

Artemis nodded and Kid Flash looked around for the nearest exit.

While he had been going up the stairs, the foundation below him had wobbled. He knew that if it could barely take his weight, there was no way it would take his, the added weight of the kid's, and Artemis'.

"We need to find a window," He told her.

She nodded. "There's probably one in the room next door."

Carrying the boy, she quickly exited the room, and he followed her.

Turning into the room next door, her eyes quickly scanned it before finding a window that was almost dangerously close to a wall of flames.

Without a word or even consulting the other teen that had come up behind her, she hurried to the window and kicked out the glass with her foot. She made sure there was none left before looking out, praying for a fire escape or something of the like.

Of course, there was nothing but a ten-foot drop. Cursing under her breath, she turned back to Kid Flash who was behind her, eyeing the flames that were drawing nearer to them.

"Just a drop. There's nothing out there," She told him.

Kid Flash uttered a curse of his own. "I'll contact Megan. Maybe she can fly over and get us."

"All of us?" Artemis questioned, "Megan's got less body strength than either of us. She can't carry us all. And the heat will impede her mind powers so she probably wont be able to lift us with her powers, either."

"Then she can just come get him. I'll carry us out. The stairs I came up on were rickety, but I bet you there's another set of them somewhere in the building," Kid Flash responded.

At Artemis' nod, the redhead quickly called out a mental plea.

_Megan, we're stuck. We've got a little boy with a broken leg. Second floor, east side. Artemis is leaning out a broken window with him._

He heard Miss Martian's reply at once, her sweet voice concerned. _Alright, I'm on my way!_

About ten seconds later, the green, blue-caped girl was levitating outside of the window.

Artemis wordlessly handed the child to her, which she took in her arms tenderly.

"What about you two?" The Martian asked, having to yell over the noise of the fire.

"We'll get out somehow, don't worry about it," Kid Flash reassured her.

Suddenly, Artemis yelped as her arm began to burn. She hadn't noticed that the fire had gotten closer until it touched her arm.

Wally grabbed her other arm and yanked her away, causing her to stumble into him.

She fell onto his chest, her hand struggling to find a hold as she tried to right herself.

She hadn't realized what exactly she had fallen into until she found that she wall holding the collar of his costume with one hand, the other one wrapped around his broad shoulders, while he had a hold of her waist.

They both stared at each other, and it was impossibly to tell if the other was blushing because both of their faces were red and sweaty from the heat.

They broke apart, but Kid Flash grabbed a hold of Artemis' arm, dragging her out of the room.

"To the end of the hall!" He yelled hoarsely, "There's got to be at least a fire escape down there!"

She followed him wordlessly, letting herself be towed along. However, they only got ten feet further from where they had been before a wall beside them started to collapse.

Wrapping his arms around her body, Wally hauled them both into the nearest room before it came down on top of them.

She landed on top of him, and he resisted the urge to look at her face. He grabbed a hold of her hand and forced her to her feet before trying to get to the door again.

Suddenly, the ceiling started to creak dangerously. It was the blonde this time that yanked the duo out of the way before a timber from the ceiling fell, blocking the door and one of their only way out.

"Shit!" Artemis shrieked, turning around and staring wildly around the room.

There wasn't a window in here that wasn't barred by flames.

They were trapped.

_Megan! _They both yelled in their heads, but the Martian's response was inaudible because of static, almost as if she was going through a tunnel and they were both on the phone with her.

Wally groaned and sank to the floor, tearing at his fiery hair with his hands.

"So this is it?" Artemis yelled over the flames to him, but mostly to herself, "We're just going to die here?"

Wally looked up from his crouch, hands now draped over his bent legs. "Unless there's some way we can Dumbledore ourselves out of this place," He grumbled.

Artemis hissed under her breath, looked up toward the ceiling and massaged her temples.

Blocked door and windows, unstable roof and floor, second story room…

Thinking quickly, the blonde peered around in the dimly lit area, looking for a ventilation shaft or laundry shoot.

She found nothing, but realized that probably wouldn't do even if she had come across what she was looking for. Metal places were bad in a fire.

Finally, she let herself admit it: There was absolutely no way they could get out of here by themselves.

"Come on," Wally sighed, standing up, "Let's at least get farther away from the fire. I'm burning up."

Artemis nodded, crossing her arms. Kid Flash grabbed her wrist and walked her over to a spot that wasn't close to the fire, but was a good ways away from the wall, just in case it fell over.

"Get down on the floor," He commanded, "There's less smoke."

She nodded and sat down, bringing her knees up to her chest. Wally followed suit, sitting down beside her.

They listened to the fire as it got closer, and sweat dripped down their faces. Wally's once-yellow suit was now grayish-black with ash.

"Well," The redhead sighed, "Uh… anything you wanna say before…"

He trailed off, not being able to say the rest of the sentence himself. He'd always thought he'd go down in action, just not like this… He'd always hoped to be some kind of martyr, a sacrifice of sorts for the sake of mankind or his mentor or team. Heroes had to accept the fact that it was easier for them to die than the normal human being, and he'd come to terms with this soon after he'd acquired his powers. He just didn't think death would come so soon.

Artemis, on the other hand, had been prepared to die since she was barely a little girl. She was trained to kill, and had killed before, and knew that after a while, she'd be tracked down and executed, too. She hadn't expected to go like this, either. It was almost a gentle death compared to what she had expected.

She took a shaky breath, commanding the tainted air to fill her lungs. "Can I tell you something?" She asked. She may as well reveal what Wally had pestered her about since she'd come to his hometown without much of an explanation. She just couldn't tell him everything at once. It was too…. Much. His death should feel satisfying, like he'd gone down fighting strongly. Not questionable. Because he'd be the only one on the team to know, but the secret would die with both of them.

Wally nodded. "Of course." He rested his green eyes on her, and the light from the fire played shadows under his eyes and above his nose.

She took another breath, like the one she had before. "I-I'm not here for your city, or for you."

Wally, at first, raised an eyebrow, confused. But as he let her statement sink in, he realized just what she was talking about.

"I'm here for me. For _my _protection." Her voice wavered on her last sentence, and Wally looked over at her, studying her face. Tears were threatening to spill from her usually intense eyes.

Instead of feeling a weight lifted from his shoulders about finally knowing what it was about, the speedster felt an even heavier weight take its place as he watched the first tear leak from her eyes and down her cheek, carving a trail through the ash on her skin.

"From what?" The redhead asked gently, scooting a little bit closer and holding his arms out in an offering of companionship and safety.

She obliged and leaned in to him as he wrapped his arms around her upper-body.

"What's after you, beautiful?" He murmured into her ear.

She shook her head, "It doesn't matter now."

He sighed softly, and his breath tickled her ear, sending shivers down her spine. "Why me? Why not Superboy or Aqualad for protection?"

She shook her head again, "Honestly, it wasn't my choice," Her voice was rough, partially from crying, but mostly from the smoke, "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

Confusion, anxiety, and anger filled the usually cool-headed speedster's veins, and he felt himself grip the archer tighter as her head collapsed against his shoulder.

Due to his metabolism, enhanced-healing abilities, and superhuman cardio, his lungs could take more smoke than hers. She would probably fall unconscious sooner than he, if they didn't burn first.

The start of the flames was about eight feet from them and drawing closer.

"What about you?" She suddenly said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" He hummed.

"Is there anything you wanna say before…"

"Oh," He responded quietly, taking a deep breath before letting out a tiny cough. "My dad's a jerk."

"Mine is, too."

"And…"

"And?"

He put his head on the top of hers from where her head was resting.

"I, uh… I always thought you were gorgeous," He revealed.

He felt the muscles in her face shift, but then she suddenly felt heavy. Very heavy, like dead weight.

"Artemis?" He asked, almost wheezed. The smoke was really getting to him now.

He leaned around her, turning her face to his. Her eyes were shut, and she was breathing quickly.

"Damn it," He whispered, letting his head fall back.

The heat of the flames was drawing closer, starting to burn at the soles of his boots. And they were nearly heat-resistant, due to the speed of his running.

Lifting his head back up, he stared at the fire again. 5 feet away.

Wally turned his head, looking over at the wall. He scooted them both back about a foot.

He took a shaky deep breath, and coughed, feeling the smoke burn the back of his throat.

_Well, this is it, Wally, _He thought. _You did your best. But you could've done better._

He closed his eyes, willing for unconsciousness to come.

The ground rumbled softly beneath him as sounds became a little distant. He breathed in heavily, coughing again.

He started to float through blackness as he let himself go, willing death to come. He felt something touch him, and he assumed it was fire.

It was warm, but not dangerously so. Maybe this was what it felt like to be in the middle of a flame, in that blue part that he had found so compelling.

The breath was suddenly knocked out of him, and he felt absolutely nothing as his surroundings and senses completely faded away.

Xxxxxxxx

_Mount Justice Medical Ward, December 12__th__, 10:03 PM_

Kid Flash gulped in air as he sat up in bed. His head throbbed and black dots swam in his vision.

"Whoa, easy," A gentle voice soothed him, placing a cool palm on his forehead and gently guiding him back down to his pillow.

A bright light, one that was too bright for his eyes at the moment, blared in his eyes.

"Am I in Heaven?" He muttered hoarsely.

"No, Wally, you're fine. You'll probably just feel a little out of breath for the next day or so," Came the voice.

"How do you know my name?"

A shadow blotted out part of the light, and Wally was able to see green skin and ginger hair.

"Megan," He said, "I'm alive?"

"Mm-hmm. Superboy jumped up there, nearly collapsed the building, but he managed to get you two out."

_Two…_

"Artemis!" He gasped, sitting up again, and looking around frantically, "Oh my God, where's Artemis?"

"Wally, lay down!" Megan commanded, but the other redhead didn't listen as he continued to search the room with his eyes. "She's in the other ward. She's fine."

The speedster heaved a deep breath and lay down again.

"Rest up, okay? You've still got school tomorrow."

Wally nodded, closing his eyes, as Megan shut off the light, darkening the insides of his eyelids as well.

As he drifted off again, Artemis' words bounced around in his mind.

_I'm not here for your city, or for you. I'm here for me. For _my_ protection._


End file.
